I'll say 6.

I would say your attitude is rather selfish. The only way to know what a fish weighs is to put it on a scale. Period.

The one in his hand or the one on his leg?

I would say your attitude is rather selfish. The only way to know what a fish weighs is to put it on a scale. Period.

Thank You!

cant really tell but by the pick i would say 4-5 maybe pushing 6 if its lucky. 

easiest way to make a 4 pounder 8 pounds is post it on the interwebs

 

easiest way to make a 8 pounder a 4 pounder is weighing it.

#getascale

I don't see that fish being anywhere near 30". I would put him around the 4 lb mark. Here is a picture of my friend with a 23.5" fish (.5" short of being keeper length!) that weighed about 8 lbs. Your friend's fish does not look anywhere near that big. And 30" fish are generally pushing 16 lbs..... which that one certainly isn't.

 

I hate photos with that angle. My friend doesn't own a scale and sends me pictures of a ton of "5lb fish" that don't look much over 3lbs. This reminds me of that. Really wish I had a hand for scale. Looks 4-5 lbs to me

Strange that he has a tattoo of fish, and he only started fishing a few months ago.

I find it entertaining when guys ask for opinions on how big a fish is and then get defensive because it doesn't align with what they think it should weigh.

 

There are pics out there of bass that are bigger than the representation in a picture. Unfortunately bud, I'm gonna say this ain't one. Good luck to you and your friend.

 

Buy a scale and a decent camera.

What do you mean "I don't want him putting scales in mouths"?

What does that have to do with the price of eggs in China?

The longer this post goes on, the more I question OP's ability to judge a fishes weight.

Well... It most certainly will not hurt the fish to weigh it.. Just think about that statement for a minute OP ?

Get a scale for the field.. Or..

Measure that fish properly! Do the math.. And no more guessing...

4lbs no greater than 6. Still a great fish

No matter the actual weight of that fish, all of us strive to catch 5 of those on tourney day

I would say about 8-11, nice fish

Time to get a scale.

The one in his hand or the one on his leg?

I didn't even notice that. Wow that's dedication for a newbie. I'm a newbie myself and I wouldve guessed 4-5